


In Your Mind

by Shaw



Series: Surviving Your Coworkers: A Cohesive Guide to Working in Blackwatch [9]
Category: Blackwatch - Fandom, Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Two scientist workin in a lab together 5 feet apart cause theyre both gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-28
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2019-05-15 02:58:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14782346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shaw/pseuds/Shaw
Summary: “My… apologies. But Moira, the things you wish to achieve are nigh impossible and entirely incapable of reproduction.”“Says the woman who cured death, something no one else has been able to do despite following your ever careful instruction over your patented technology.” Moira’s tone was still bitter and it inspired a pinch of anger in Angela. She was correct in what she said, but Angela found she did not like how she said it.“That is different.”





	In Your Mind

Angela stared at Moira for some time. She often did, when she got to thinking. Why Moira always happened to be in her line of sight when she sunk into her thoughts was a wonder in itself. She had started to suspect maybe it was the sight of the geneticist, her less than ethical co-worker, that triggered her to slip into absent mindfulness. Nonetheless she was paused in what she had been doing, blue eyes glued to the face of the other woman as slowly chewed her lip. 

 

“Doctor Ziegler?... Angela!” The voice of her assistant finally pulled her back to reality as she blinked and frowned, looking down at her task of the moment. She had been tinkering with some of the circuitry of her Valkyrie issued suit. It had been a very long time since she sent it back for proper repairs, rather wanting to keep the modifications she’d made to it under lock and key. This meant she often repaired it herself. The levitory systems had been acting up lately and nearly lead to her breaking her ankle after falling from a particularly daunting height. 

 

“Yes, what is it?” Her assistant, a man much her senior by the name of Nadir, arched an eyebrow at her before shaking his head. She heard him cluck his tongue at her but she took no offense by it. She knew he was merely exasperated with her spacing out as she was. 

 

“You really must stop chewing on yourself like that,” He started, giving her raw bottom lip a worried look. She licked it, conscious of the sting the action provoked. “I retrieved the blueprints you asked for. I still say you should just send in request for the new suit that has been produced. I heard that the Dominion project has proved successful in building upon the Valkyrie suit.” 

 

“Thank you, Mostafa, but I will be declining such suggestion once more.” 

 

“I don’t know why you shy away from progress so insistently, Doctor Ziegler.” Angela’s gaze snapped up immediately from her work. Moira had been blissfully quiet most of the time, involved with her own paperwork and busy bossing her assistant around. Angela had been thankful, as their last conversation had left them both on sour terms with one another for the time being. 

 

“I would rather say that we are two forces progressing in different directions. The Dominion project and the accompanying Cherubim Initiative have brought violence to the Valkyrie program; I do not agree with such, and thus am entitled to withdraw from them as I see fit.” Nadir’s mouth pressed thinly as he looked between Angela and Moira. Baraka, who had just returned with cups of coffee in tow for the lab workers, paused and cleared his throat. 

 

“I hope I am no interrupting anything… Here, Doctor O’Deorain. Your coffee, as you requested.” A frown found its way to Angela’s face as she watched Baraka pass Moira her beverage. Elina was a bright young mind. Angela had done her research on him after he had let a crucial piece of information slip about his past. To see her treating him like an intern was upsetting. Although she knew herself a hypocrite-- after all, how many times had she sent Nadir on mundane task runs if just to get him out of her work space? 

 

“If I recall, our very own O’Deorain participated in the Cherubim Initiative. You received one of their prototype suit, did you not?” A pained look flickered over Baraka’s face as Nadir said this, gaze flickering to Moira before falling to the floor. Angela did not miss it, but was rather occupied with taking in the smug look that was forming on the other woman’s face. 

 

“You are correct, yes. Once upon a time; My path was not meant to follow the Valkyrie program for long. Our visions did not quite align at the time.” Moira’s gaze didn’t leave Angela’s as she said this. Angela felt her skin prickle with indignation. Was she trying to challenge her? As if Angela wasn’t already aware of Moira’s work in the Cherubim Initiative? It had been the paving stone for the Dominion project, after all. 

 

A long bout of silence seemed to follow this up. Baraka excused himself to go check on the current medbay patients, which everyone already knew meant he was going to go see how Genji was doing. Angela let him go alone, not wanting to deal with the man at the moment even if acknowledging the fact left her feeling hollow. 

 

Nadir eventually departed, receiving a page that he was needed elsewhere for the time being. This left Angela and Moira mostly alone with one another. The busy background staff was of no importance to either of them as they worked. Eventually, against her better wishes, Angela slipped into thought again. Her hands stilled from their fiddling and her bottom lip found its way between her teeth again as her eyes slowly drifted to Moira’s profile. 

 

If Moira knew Angela was staring she made no move to stop her or even let her know she knew. In passing, Angela was grateful for this. She didn’t need the woman teasing her about something so innocent and mundane. Angela wasn’t sure how long she’d been staring but when she focused back in on reality, Moira was staring back. 

 

“I wanted to continue where we left off yesterday, Ziegler.” Angela blinked blankly before her brow slowly dipped down. Moira was not being necessarily confrontational but it didn’t mean that they couldn’t both get angry with one another quickly. 

 

“From which point, Doctor O’Deodrain; I believe we hit several hit points on topics such as eugenics and supernaturalism.” Moira’s mouth pursed slightly at the blonde’s tone but she made no move to quip back. 

 

“Neither, actually. Although I’m sure you would love to argue your case to me again despite the fact I have stated repeatedly that personal morals have no place in science. I wanted to discuss your views on human test subjects again. I feel perhaps I did not make myself clear last time.” 

 

“You made yourself plenty clear, Doctor O’Deorain.” Angela moved her line of sight down, wanting to finish the job she had been failing to do for the past several hours. She knew exactly what was wrong with the circuitry. There was really no excuse for taking so long to fix it. 

 

“Oh, please, Angela.” There was the exasperation that she had been waiting for. The condescension, she felt, would follow soon thereafter. “Could you not listen to one’s differing opinions just once in your life? You think so highly of yourself!” 

 

“I do not recall agreeing to sit here passively while you berate me.” 

 

“Yet I should do as such and allow you to shame my views merely because you do not understand them?” Angela’s mouth was fighting hard to not twist itself into a scowl. Moira was certainly sneering at her, but there was an obvious attempt from her to not openly express contempt. 

 

“The idea that one could willfully opt into life altering and possibly deadly tests and at any moment back out without consequences, if at all, is idyllic fantasy. Human test subjects, while ideal, are nowhere near ethical.” 

 

“You say this as if you have no already committed such crimes against your morals.” Moira scoffed. 

 

“What are you talking about.” Angela snapped back, body tensing. She knew exactly what Moira was talking about. Moira knew that she knew and said nothing to her, merely clucking her tongue. 

 

“If one cannot test on animals nor humans, then what is left except faulty simulations? You can only plug so many details into a computer program to run the results. There’s no guarantee that what you get from the simulation will even prove to be accurate.”

 

“Couldn’t the same be said for human subjects? There are many variables among human beings alone that must be factored in when conducting research. Things that work for one may do nothing for another, or worse yet cause grievous harm.”

 

“Then it would be considered a faulty run. That is when you return to the first step and rework and try again.” 

 

“Life is not a board of disposable tools with which you can fine tune your madness, Moira.” This seemed to set something in Moira off, her lips peeling back as her two-toned eyes narrowed dangerously. Angela was taken aback, unsuspecting of the sudden aggression. 

 

“Do not take me for mad, Angela.” Her words were sharp and cutting. Angela lowered her head, sheepish suddenly. She had not expected to strike a nerve. While yes, perhaps Moira was eccentric and questionable it was wrong of her to throw such callous insults around. 

 

“My… apologies. But Moira, the things you wish to achieve are nigh impossible and entirely incapable of reproduction.”

 

“Says the woman who cured death, something no one else has been able to do despite following your ever careful instruction over your patented technology.” Moira’s tone was still bitter and it inspired a pinch of anger in Angela. She was correct in what she said, but Angela found she did not like how she said it. 

 

“That is different.” 

 

“I do not see how.” Moira was back to sneering now, although Angela was thankful for it after seeing the full on snarl from earlier. 

 

“I have consistent results, is how it is different. Your results are volatile, all over the place. Even you can hardly replicate your results.” 

 

“That is what you think. I have been able to reproduce the effects of my shadowstep project-- Nevermind.” It was too late. Angela had heard. Blue eyes narrowed in suspicion. 

 

“Shadowstep project? Moira, what have you been doing... You are not being funded for such things. Not with Overwatch funds.” 

 

“Overwatch is not my only beneficiary. You’d be foolish to disillusion yourself into thinking such things to begin with.” A tense air settled around them. Moira had let her tongue slip and now was trying her damnedest to shut the conversation down through sheer force of will. 

 

“You realize I will have to tell Commander Reyes about this?” Angela started, sternly. Moira laughed, actually laughed at her. That smug look had returned. It infuriated her slightly to see it so suddenly. 

 

“Oh, I’m sure you will. Good luck with such endeavors, Doctor Ziegler.” The honorific was played on with a sickening sweetness that made Angela’s pulse pick up in a flush of further anger. Moira made quick work of gathering her paperwork and turning her holoclip off, taking a sudden exit that left Angela slightly bewildered and wholly unsettled. She had a terrible gut feeling about what Moira had said. She only hoped it was not what she thought it was.

**Author's Note:**

> A fic without Jesse or Genji or Lihua in it? Scandalous! Someone call the FBI, I've obviously been replaced with a clone. Nah, but really. Wanted to switch things up and something along the lines of this has been on my mind for a bit. Don't forget to kudos if ya like it and comment if you have somethin to say! Read the other works if you're brave and always, thanks for reading. Addio


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